The present invention relates generally to a safety barrier system that is positioned between the operative parts of a machine and a machine operator or bystanders in the working area. The present invention relates more particularly to a barrier system having a plurality of modular units that can each be individually and selectively positioned at various levels as necessitated by the machine being used and the operations thereof.
Industrial machinery may utilize several moving parts that have the potential to cause injury to an operator, or other persons nearby, should they get caught in or struck by any of the moving parts. As such, regulations have been instituted that require barriers and protection to minimize access to the areas of moving parts and therefore lessen the chances of injury. There are several types of barrier structures that are known and used in the industry for this purpose. Some of these structures, however, may be difficult and very time-consuming to manipulate in order to gain access to a machine area for servicing or changing the machine, or for use on different machinery or for different functions. As such, there remains a need for a barrier structure that can be easily modified for these purposes, in particular, without removing or changing the entire barrier structure.